Orangery Designs

Orangery Designs

Orangeries are the perfect choice for any homeowner who wants to enhance the design of their house, and in the UK, homes with orangeries are considered to be more desirable compared to those without.

If you are running out of space in your home, looking to revamp or simply want to add more value to your property, having an orangery constructed is one of the best ways to go.

Some people may feel like orangeries are a bit “old school” but there are many modern orangery designs that support, and even lead, current trends for UK homes.

What is an Orangery?

Just in case you are not sure what an orangery is, or you have only just heard about it, an orangery is an extension of a house, usually in form of an external room. The modern evolution of orangeries has made it possible for UK homeowners to build custom orangery designs.

Right now let us take a quick look at the benefits of constructing an orangery.

Some key benefits of constructing an orangery

An orangery can dramatically alter the look of your home to give it a new appeal and design. It is especially useful to homeowners. who love their property but really want or need more room, to use this option as an alternative to having to move to a bigger house in order to get the extra space.

So instead of purchasing a new home, altering the design by constructing an orangery can be a better solution.

An orangery is also particularly useful when renovating a property for sale. More square footage means a better sale price – that’s a fact. It’s broadly accepted that a home extension like an orangery can add around 10% to the value of a property. So as long as you don’t go crazy on the spending, you are going to get a financial return.

So how much will it cost to build an orangery?

Orangeries are usually built to order, and therefore you are only going to get to know the full cost once you have discussed your project with a professional and had specific quotations created for your orangery.

You can expect to find the cost of a fully fitted orangery as follows:

Basic Orangery: White upvc or Timber (pine), from £15,000

Small 3000 x 3000: Timber (engineered wood), from £15,000 to £18,000

Medium 4000x 3000: UPVC frames, from £18,000 to £25,000

Large 4000 x 4000 and over: Various materials from £25,000 to £50,000 +

As we said earlier, you could expect the orangery to add around 10% to the re-sale value of the existing property. So with UK average property prices (Sept 2017) at around £250,000, and higher in London or the South East of England, it gives a potential “break even” budget of £25,000 – plus you now have a really great home extension.

Almost by default, you are improving use of the building plot space, adding a sense of style, visual appeal that boosts the desirability of your property and at the same time broadening the functionality of your property.

In todays’ property market, you need to use all the advantages you can to, firstly, attract a buyer and secondly, to get the sale price you want.

That is all very good if you are in the market to sell, but if it is about making a change to your property and improving your families’ lifestyle, then a building modern orangery can really change the way you enjoy your home.

An orangery can be an ideal solution to extend the existing kitchen or create a new kitchen space, create a new dining area perfect for daily use or entertaining guests. You could make it an extended lounge or even set it up as a home office or study – there are really no restrictions on how to use the extra space.

You also have a wonderful room that can act as a “bridge” between the house and the garden area.

Orangery Design – the visuals.

The greatest advantage about orangeries is that they can be a custom design that meets your preferences and budget. If you take your time to check out some of the design ideas available for orangery construction you can very well come up with an excellent custom design to fit your home.

Here are some orangery design ideas and tips that you should check out for inspiration:

Location of the orangery

The location of your orangery is vital and it depends on your needs. As we mentioned beforehand, you can have it constructed as an extension of your kitchen, your dinning or even your lounge depending on your preference, but where you put it is an important decision.

Most people prefer constructing an orangery on the side of the property that provides the most natural light possible. You don’t really want the room to be in the shadows all day do you?

Orangery Construction Options

Leaded Orangery Roof With Glass Lantern

When it comes to the material there are a number of options to choose from. Most orangery designs feature solid columns enclosing the glazed areas and so the choice of material for the solid sections can have a huge influence.

Bare brick is used a lot, but you can influence the visual impact by the choice of brick type and colour. There will be a dramatic difference on the look, for example, between an orangery that uses a Tuscan Red brick to one that features a Staffordshire Smooth Blue brick.

You can also experiment with the surface of the brickwork, with natural texture facing bricks or super hard “shiny” engineering bricks – maybe even reclaimed brick, natural stone or slate.

Rendered external finishes also offer a way to have impact (no, we don’t mean Pebble-dash!). There are cement or lime renders for a more “traditional” look or you could look at some of the more recent options for cement based silicone or polymer renders that are available in maybe 50 different colours.

Types of render

The solid sections could also be made from timber, such as hardwood or engineered wood, aluminium or even uPVC. The recent trend to go for more of a glass orangery would favour the use of these materials as the frame profiles can be slimmer and allow greater use of glass in the side structure.

Or, you could take away a wall or two completely, by using a cantilevered design built over bi-folding doors. This produces a stunning “floating roof” effect when the doors are fully opened.

It’s about synergy with your property, and the key could be to decide whether to complement or contrast the existing property finish.

Orangery roofs

The roof of an orangery is one of the signature elements, the raised domed central glass lantern fitted into a flat roof is the classic style of orangery roof.

The lantern can be a single central feature large, a large feature covering virtually all of the roof area or you could opt for a series of smaller ones distributed across the roof space.

You could, of course ignore the classic aspects and have a tiled lantern section or even use a full width angled roof in glass, tiles or slates.

Windows & Door Options

Double Hipped Glass Roof Orangery

The windows and doors of your orangery, irrespective of the main construction material used in the solid sections, contribute greatly to the overall visual impression.

If you want to “go modern” then full length glazed casement windows sections keep the overall appearance clean and uncluttered. On the other hand, using sash windows with Georgian bars and mullions is the sure sign of a period orangery.

In terms of doors, many orangeries make use of French doors (often flanked by glass side panels) for the main entrance / exit and this design sits well with period orangeries.

The instance of Bifold door use is on the increase and this amazing door set can offer some real design flexibility for your orangery.

The doors themselves fold to the sides to leave the opening absolutely clear of obstruction and, if you take them the full width of the room, create the effect of a moving glass wall. Once opened it’s as if the wall has been removed and the room is completely open to the outside.

We mentioned it before, but by using bifold doors on two adjoining sides the effect, when both sets are opened simultaneously, is to make the roof look like it is suspended in mid-air and looks awesome.

Styles of Orangeries

Orangery designs are often labelled or tagged as one style or another, much like conservatories are, so you will find references to orangery styles such as

Victorian / Edwardian Orangery

Georgian / Regency Orangery

Period / Contemporary Orangery

Essentially, these labels are just to identify variations in general stylistic approach. Period Orangeries would be of the Victorian, Edwardian, Georgian or Regency type and tend to reflect more ornamental, highly detailed rooms with lots of detail.

About planning permission for Orangeries

There is potential for you to be able to build an orangery without the need for planning permission, but this is not an area that you can afford to take any chances with – if you get it wrong, it can cause you a lot of heartache, stress and expense to put right.

Always have a proper conversation about planning permission with your installer and check with your local authority. A lot could depend on how your property has been extended or improved in the past, or if there are restrictive covenants that you are not aware of which can have a part to play.

Without doubt, if you live in a listed property, an area of outstanding natural beauty or National park then you need to consult the authorities before you do anything to find out exactly what the situation is regarding your project.

We have covered the subject in broad terms elsewhere: Orangery Planning Permission.

And finally

Beauty, in this case, is definitely in the eye of the beholder, in other words, it’s down to personal preferences, but it could be too much of a contrast to build a highly ornate period style orangery onto an ultra-modern minimalist house.

At the end of the day, your orangery design depends on your taste and your budget (& maybe also the planning department!). You can play around with the colour, the material, and the shape of the structure, but essentially you have to make sure it fits in with the rest of your home.

To find out how much a new orangery extension would cost for your home, just send us a few details of your proposed project and we will arrange a selection free independent written quotations from accredited professionals.

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